Joint for fluid meters and the like



Feb. 19,-` 1929.

w. s. BRUBAKER l JOINT FOR FLUID METERS AND'THE LIKE` Filed Feb. 25,1,927

.z .2 *y II%\\\ for fluid-tightly sealing Patented Feb. 19, 1929.

`WALTER S. BRUBAKER, 0F OAKLAND, CAIJIFO-RNIA.

JOINT FOR FLUID METERS AND THE LIKE. l

Application iled February 25, '1927. Serial No. 170,878.

'Illie invention relates to joints for the purpose oftransm'ittingmotion without leakage fromthe interior of the casing of a iiuid meteror similar machine to an external mechanism such as a counterorregister. More specifically, the invention coinf prises means fordriving the meter vcasing at the point where a art of the register`driving means (a nutating shaft) passes to the exterior thereof. Forthis purpose, nu-

-merous arrangements of diaphragms and more or less success, but it is'the Cny packings have heretofore been devised with aim of my inventionto provide a new and improved construct-icm in which I may eil'ectivelyutilize a cylindrical bellows to seal the meter casing against leakagearound the ball mounting of a -nutating ,shaftwhich engages and drivesthe-counter or register.

The cylindrical bellows is a thin, metal bellows longitudinallycorrugated and hence rendered lvery flexible without danger of breakage,an-d in numerous arts this bellows has been used with great success, butin so far as I am advised, no practical construction has heretofore beendevised whereby such bellows may beadvantageously used in connectionwith a meter and the register driving means thereof, embodying anutating shaft. There 1s a need however forA such an improvedconstruction and my invention aims to fulfill suoli need.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides inthe novelsubjectmatter hereinafter described and claimed, the description beingsupplemented by the accompanying drawing which lis a vertical sectionalview partly in elevation showing the invention and associated parts'.

In the drawing above briefly. described, the numeral 1 designates a basewhich constitutes a part of one side of a metercasing and it may be thecover plate of au opening in' such casing. The top of this base isformed with a recess 2 of circular form, said recess having a threaded.side wall 3 and being preferably enlarged at its open upper end, asindicated at 4. At the center ofthis recess, the base 1 is formed .witha bearing opening 5 which is preferablyV equipped with an appropriatebushing 6. A driving shaft 7 is disposed within he bushing 46 and isprovided at its upper. end with a head 8 located' in the central portionof the recess 2, said Ahead having an excentrically posi- 'the registerand.

1 17. Rotatably lwith a pin or vtioned ball socket 9. Thel motion of theshaft 7. is imparted to the registering or indicating mechanism, and itis, of course,A

driven by the metering mechanism 1n any suitable manner, a gear 10being'shown.`4

A cap 11 is provided for the recess 2, said cap preferably consisting ofa ring 12 threaded into said recess around the head 8 and a dome 1.3integral with the ring. `rlhis ring 12 is preferably provided with astepped upper portion, one step of which is received v in theenlargement 4 of the recess 2, appropriate gaskets 14 steps and theunderlying base portions, to obtain a fluid-tight connection.

At its lower end, the dome 13 is preferably enlar ed, providing acontinuous, peripherally gfacing shoulder 15 at the juncture of the domewith the ring 12 and spaced outwardly from the major portion of saiddome.' The upper end of this dome is formed with an opening 16 embodyinga ball socket and rockably received in this socket, is a ball 18 on theintermediate portion of a nutating shaft 19, the lower 0nd of said shafthaving a ball 20 which is rcceived in the socket 9 of the head 8.

A cylindrical bellows 21 surrounds the dome 13 and is outwardly spacedfrom the major port-ion of this dome, the lower endof said bellowssurrounding and being soldered or otherwise secured at 22 to theshoulder 15,

Vto secure the disk and shaft together.

being provided between the 25 designates in a general way, a counter orp register having a driven shaft 26 provided the like 27 which isengaged by the u];)per end of the shaft 19 to be operated thereby. Thecasing of the register is provided .with a hollow base 28 which encasesthe cap 11,L the cylindrical bellows 21, the upper portion of the shaft19 yand the lower portion of the shaft 26, said base 28 being sen curedby bolts or the like 29'upon the base 1.

By`r employing the novel construction vshown and described or asubstantial equivalent thereof, easy assembl and disassembly of allparts is permitted, t e meter casing is the point where the nutatingshaft 19 must pass to the exterior of said casing, and a generallydesirable and efficient structure is produced. The cylindrical bellows21 is readily yieldable in all directions with the travel of the shaft19 and the movement and consequentyielding of said bellows are trivial,so that the-bellows will last indefinitely, providing substantially apermanent seal.

A s excellent results are 'obtainable' from the.details-disclosed, suchdetails are preferably followed. However, within the scope of theinvention as claimed, vai'iations may of course be made.

1. A joint for the driving connection :be-

tween a meter and its register comprising a base havingY a bearingopening, a drivlng shaft in said opening, ahollow dome-shaped memberdetachably secured tothe base opposite the driving shaft and having anopening embodying a ball socket, a nutating shaft having a ball betweenits ends rotatably and rockably held inisaid ball socket, a drivingconnectionbetween the nutating shaft and the said driving sliaftfa disksecured to the nutating shaft, va flexible metal bellows en-l closingsaid dome-shaped member and a ortion of said nutating shaft, said metalellows being 'secured at one en`d to the disk and at its other end tothe base of the domesliaped member.

2. A joint for the driving connection between a meter and its registercomprising a basel having a 'circular recess in its u per side providedwith a -threaded wall, said ase also iaving a bearing opening at thecenter of the recess bottom, a driving shaft passing through saidopening and having a headgdisposed in the recess, the upper side of saidhead having an eccentric socket, a'ca for the recess consisting of aring threade into said recess around said head and having an integrallyattached 'dome whose upper .end

. lower end of said bellows being between its ends rotatably androckably held in said ball socket of the dome, the lower end of saidnutating shaft being rovidedwith a hall received in the aforesai socketof said driving shaft, and a exiblemetal bellows surrounding said y domeand spaced` outwardly therefrom, the upper end of said bellows beingclosedv and fluid-tightly secured to sa'd n utating shaft' above thedome, thefluid-tightly secured to a portion of the aforesaid cap.

3. A joint for the driving connection between a meter and its register,comprising a base-having a circular recess inits upper side providedwith a threaded wall, said base also iavlng a bearing opening at thecenter of the recess bottom, a driving shaft passing through saidopeningxand having a head disposed in the recess, the 4upper side ofsaid head having an eccentric socket, a cap for the recess consisting ofva ring threaded into said recess around said head and liavimg anintegrally attached dome whose upper end is formed with a centralopening embodyin a ball socket, the lower end of said dome beingenlarged and providing a continuousV outwardly facing shoulder at thejuncture of the dome and ring, a nutating shaft havin@ a ball betweenits ends rotatably and rockaby held in said vball socket of t-he dome,the lower end of said nutating shaft being provided with a ball'receivedin the aforesaid socket of said driving shaft, and a iexible metalbellows surrounding said dome and spaced outwardly therefrom, the upperend of said bellows being closed and {luid-ti htly secured to saidnutating shaft above t e dome, the

.lower end of. said bellows being Huid-tightly lsecured around 'the'aforesaid shoulder.

'In testimony. whereof I have hereunto aflfixed my signature.

WALTER s. BRUBAKER.

